Immigrants accounted for nearly 43% of Mecklenburg County's population growth between 2019 and 2024, according to a new report examining the demographic and economic footprint of foreign-born residents in the Charlotte area. The county's immigrant population climbed to nearly 200,000 people by 2024, making up 17% of all residents and more than one in five working-age adults.
The findings come from a report released by the American Immigration Council, Welcoming America and the City of Charlotte, as detailed by WFAE. Beyond the population figures, the report puts a dollar value on immigrants' role in the local economy: they accounted for about 17% of Mecklenburg County's total gross domestic product in 2024, contributing $31.7 billion to the county's output that year.
Immigrant households in the county earned a combined $9.6 billion in 2024, the report found. After paying roughly $1.8 billion in federal taxes and about $804 million in state and local taxes, those households retained $7 billion in spending power — money that flows back into local businesses, housing and services across Mecklenburg County.
How the Numbers Were Calculated
The figures rest on a methodology laid out by the American Immigration Council, which defines an immigrant as anyone born outside the United States to non-U.S.-citizen parents who resides in the country. A household counts as foreign-born if its household head was born abroad, according to the Council's methodology.
To estimate income, tax contributions and spending power for foreign-born households, the Council relies on American Community Survey microdata. For county-level figures specifically, the organization first draws on microdata from the 2018 five-year American Community Survey, and when county sample sizes run too small, it turns to U.S. Census Bureau data-portal estimates to gauge immigrants' share of a county's total population. Spending power, per the methodology, is defined as the disposable income left over after subtracting federal, state and local taxes from total household income.
Community Conversation on Immigrant-Owned Businesses
The report's release comes as local advocates continue pressing the issue at the neighborhood level. A community meeting organized by Charlotte Urbanists took place at Manolo's Bakery in Charlotte, where attendees discussed how policy affects immigrant-owned businesses, according to the same WFAE report.
The article was authored by Julian Berger, who covers race and equity for WFAE, and was published as part of the outlet's Race & Equity coverage. The report's authors were not identified in the available reporting, nor was its exact publication date specified.
